Property news from around the world

Golf homes

Those who are thinking of retiring and who love the game of golf are looking into buying golf course homes.  These are homes are part of a small community that offers one amenity, living near a challenging golf course.  Living in one of these communities gives the residents the ability to step out their back door and practice their golf swing.  There are many other advantages in living in a golfing community.  There is one thing you will want to know before beginning your research on buying one, the golf course home communities are often very expensive.  Having a golf course in your back yard is pricey.

Luxury Real Estate
When one thinks of luxury real estate they think of sitting in a lounge chair on the beach, sitting next to a stand which holds an icy cold drink with an umbrella in it, tall palm trees swaying back and forth in the breeze and the hustle bustle of the world a million miles away.  There is not better way I can think of to relax.  You can do this in your own back yard if you find the real estate agent who will listen to you and do their best to bring to you the type of home you are looking to buy.

Your dream of buying one of the luxury homes for sale doesn’t have to stay a dream.  There are homes on the waterfront, with skeet shooting ranges, private beaches, and private docks where you can keep your boat.  When you are ready to go boating just step out your back door and you are ready to go.  The amenities are just on the outside of these vacation homes.  Inside you will find jacuzzis, garden tubs, first class appliances in the kitchen and living rooms with a complete theater system at your beck and call.  You can have all the luxuries the rich enjoy at an affordable price if you buy now.

Refinancing

With President Obama’s “Making Homes Affordable Plan” the millions of homeowners who are in need of refinancing with poor credit now can.  For those who have not been able to pay their mortgage payment in timely manner now has help.  The government, however, has only approved just a few lenders and banks that are able to work with and issue homeowners these loans.  There are several benefits to this plan.  Even though few lenders have been given the opportunity to participate in this plan the government has a cap on how much the mortgage can be raised in order to prevent abuse from the lenders.

Investing in property – news and articles

Rents in Dubai continue to fall, putting more pressure on property investors. Where the crash will stop remains to be seen, but one thing is certain – it is no where in sight just yet.

Property investors are continuing to take a bath in Dubai as rents fell once again in August. According to a survey by the Khajeel Times and property management firm Asteco. Investment property in Dubai.

“Average,” house prices in the UK started rising again. But the fact that sales are down 75% from peak rather nakes it difficult to draw any conclusions from that fact.

If you are considering buying investment property in the UK – be warned. The latest headlines from all the major newspapers and the BBC etc, are making a great deal of the fact that average house prices in the UK rose in July by 1.7%. House prices in the UK.

The massive quantity of golf  homes for sale continues to rise and one has to be extremely careful when considering an investment in this market.

There is a stunning amount of golf homes for sale at the moment. Largely thanks to the artificial boom that was created during the credit bubble that is still deflating. Golf course homes for sale.

Of course, the same could be said for foreclosures. The banks are now the biggest owners of property in several countries including the USA, Spain and Dubai.

There are currently hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of foreclosed homes for sale in the USA. Find bank owned properties.

The luxury property market is not immune either, and there are hundreds of thousands of excess units on the market. Finding luxury homes for sale is becoming a problem for many and the answer is to look at small, niche companies dealing exclusively with a small segment of the market.

Buying an espresso machine

If you want the ultimate in coffee – nothing beats making your own espresso at home with an Italian espresso machine. There are many models on the market and there is a good guide to buying an espresso machine avaiable, with reviews of all the top models. I prefer Italian espresso makers – they seem tp be the best – although they can be a little quirky some times.

The best Italian espresso machine is the is the La Pavoni EPBB-8 Europiccola 8 cup. This is an unusual espresso maker in that it requires a hand pull using a lever rather than a pumped shot of water through the coffee holder to produce the shot.

And this review of the best Italian espresso machines, entitled “The best espresso machines are Italian and George Clooney won’t sleep with you if you buy one,” is probably the best review on the planet.

I am addicted to coffee. There – I said it and got it off my chest. I cannot face the day without first having a cup of coffee in the morning, and it needs to be decent coffee, not some instant crap sold using a catchy jingle. In fact, my wife refuses to speak to me until I have had at least two cups…………

Refinancing with bad credit

Whatever the bullshit government press releases might be saying about “recovery,” in the financial markets, the simple fact is that all of the money being poured into the system is disappearing down a black hole caused by losses on loans issued over the previous 20 year lending spree. If you want to know the truth about the likelyhood of refinancing a loan when your credit rating is damaged, or refinancing a mortgage with poor credit, read some of these articles.

Whether or not anyone in power is prepared to admit to it, the refinancing and remortgaging landscape has changed drastically since the onset of the financial crisis. Lack of available credit still dominates despite massive injections of new capital from the world governments.

There is a lot of talk about credit scores, poor credit, bad credit blah blah blah. But this is on a personal level and no one is really looking at the creditworthiness of the banks and lending institutions. The banks can arbitrarily decide that you are not creditworthy and that is the end as far as you are concerned, you now need to scramble around fixing your credit rating or face the prospect of never being able to borrow money at a sensible interest rate, and the banks are not interested in helping you refinance with poor credit.

As the recession continues lumbering it’s way through the world’s economies, a large number of people are finding themselves in the position of needing to refinance with poor credit – either their their homes or other debts, which is difficult while their credit rating is damaged. Unfortunately, this means one of two things – either paying exorbitant interest rates or defaulting on the original loans.

Mortgage refinancing is one of the most talked-about topics on the internet, and although there are a vast amount of websites discussing the topic, many seem to be able to provide very little information. The reason for this is unfortunately that there is very little information to be had, because, on the whole, the financial institutions are in a big enough hole that they are only interested in refinancing by either charging and arm and a leg for the service, or taking only low risk customers.

I don’t care what any government or newspaper tells me – honestly, the amount of garbage being pumped out is enough to fill a landfill teh size of Alaska. How stupid do they think we are? Pretty damn stupid apparently.

Barbecue recipes

Summer is here !  Time to get the barbecue out and get grilling. I love bbq, and although a lot of people poopoo the idea of making “gourmet” foods on a barbeque, I have one word for those people. Bollocks. I would put my home made hamburgers, chicken wings or baby back ribs recipes up against any other meat based recipe and would like to bet they would be voted hands down the best “gourmet,”  recipes.

My home made barbecue hamburgers are rightly famous world wide (if I do say so myself) and if you are interesting in grilling hamburgers , this is the way to do it. If you want to learn how to make the best baby back ribs , check this recipe out – you will not be disappointed. If you are on a budget, buffalo chicken wings are a good alternative to these two – chicken wings are almost free and the level of input is minimal. For the best barbecue chicken wings try this one.

I hope everyone has an awesome summer, and makes the most of these easy barbecue recipes. I know I am doing so – grilled hamburger for lunch tomorrow. Oh yes, I love the summer. Tell me your mouth is not watering.

Grilling hamburgers

World’s Largest Condo Marketplace Continues to Grow in Dominance

Miami, FL. (July 22, 2009) – Condo.com, the world’s largest condo marketplace, was ranked  #8 out of dozens of real estate portals in the United States by Global edge, a UK based award-winning trade portal designed to help real estate agents and property developers do business overseas.  Condo.com was ranked #48 globally and is the #1 site dedicated exclusively to condominium marketing and sales.

“The top portals are either outright market leaders or the main challengers in large established markets, most notably in the US,” said Ashley Rigg, founder of Global edge. “Market leaders “own” their categories and are referenced naturally on the web which explains their dominance.  I’d be willing to bet that in five years time, there will be very few new entrants into the top portals in established markets. Dislodging market leaders is extremely difficult. It’s often more efficient to set fire to a large pile of cash,” Rigg added about the ranking results.

Condo.com has established itself as a dominant force in the online marketing of luxury condominiums worldwide.  This is  evidenced by the growth it has experienced since its launch in 2005.  Condo.com has over 800,000 listings worldwide valued in excess of $200 billion.  The site receives over 1 million visitors monthly and is dedicated to the evolution and prosperity of the condominium real estate market.  While most companies are reporting huge declines in sales revenue, thanks to difficulties with people trying to refinance with bad credit, Condo.com has grown year-over-year revenues by over 50%.  While these stats are impressive, the team at Condo.com is most proud of the resource they have become to the real estate community substantiated by 20,000+ qualified leads they generate for developers, agents, sellers and auctioneers each month.

Condo.com fills an important niche in the condominium and broader real estate community.  Over eighty-five percent of consumers start their real estate search online because they want instant access to information.  Condo.com provides property details, market analysis, photos, rich multi-media, community information, resident reviews and more – all of which has been vital to this industry.

The global over-supply of luxury condos has become one of the symbols of the real estate bust and Condo.com serves an increasingly important role in providing liquidity to the market. Condo.com is the future of condo marketing and the future is here.

Weight loss recipes

There is only one way to lose weight – whatever rubbish may be bandied about on how to lose weight by drinking a chemical concoction or a cup of tea – weight loss is not that hard – all it takes is will power and eating reasonably. Weight loss can only be achieved by eating less calories than you burn. These are some healthy recipes to help with a weight loss program.

• Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella salad (Insalata Caprese) Here is a very simple, five minute recipe for a great tasting salad. No cooking, no mess and very nutritional. Losing weight by eating salads
• Using whole wheat instead of bleached white flour for a pizza changes the texture and gives a more substantial, slightly different kind of pizza. Healthy pizza recipe
• This is a great way of using up leftover cooked lamb or beef, because it is so unusual. It’s not really a Turkish recipe, but you can believe it is because the ingredients are so Turkish. Stuffed pepper recipe
• The other day I drove by a Carl’s Jr. and saw a sign for their “Hand-Scooped Cap’n Crunch Ice Cream Shake”. I wanted to try one so badly. Low calorie recipes to lose weight

Bon Apetit !

Luxury Real Estate and Property Investment News

Volatility reigns supreme in the real estate world currently. Translation – prices and sales volumes continue to decline around the world. This is a selection of recent headlines which aptly demonstrate the fact that the financial crisis is alive and well and coming to your street.

Just as it appeared that new construction starts for personal residences were beginning to stabilize in the U.S. (as evidenced by very small increases In March and April as opposed to severe decreases in the 12 months before that), commercial real estate starts plunged in both months, taking new housing construction for April to an historic low.US Housing construction hits record low

The Moody’s/REAL National All Property Type Aggregate Index from Real Estate Analytics, LLC, (REAL), measures 148.07 for March 2009, a decrease of 1.7% from the previous month.  The Index, which has captured price data through the end of March 2009, is now 20.8% lower than it was a year ago and 22.8% below the peak measured in October 2007.  The index also indicated a 20% drop in prices over the past two years and has returned to its level of March 2005, although still lagging behind the residential sector falls. Commercial property values in US drop 20%

The amount of luxury homes for sale in the Hamptons jumped to a record of 1,673 in the first quarter of 2009. This represents an inventory that will take 34 months to move at the current sales volumes. According to Miller Samuel, and other real estate advisors, the level of sales is at an all time low – 67% down from 2008. Luxury homes in the Hamptons

There have been lots of rumblings recently about the luxury property market on the French Riviera being immune to the down turn, but this seems not to be the case. In a region where $500,000 barely buys a tiny apartment, the downturn has hit and hit spectacularly hard. Luxury property prices on the Cote D’Azur

To listen to any newspaper, TV show or magazine from a few years ago, you could be forgiven for thinking that buying real estate as an investment was an absolute guaranteed return.Buying real estate as an investment

Foreclosures are rising in the USA, and repossessions in the UK. In fact, the amount of homes repossessed in the UK this year is likely to exceed 75,000 – more than double the amount in 2008. Adverse credit remortgage

So, if anyone is in any doubt that the global downturn has by no means finished running it’s course, these should help dispel any notions of that type. We have a ways to go and there will be killings to be made for anyone able to predict the bottom of the real estate market.

Property Investment News

Things do seem to not be going well in the real estate industry. Prices are still falling everywhere and buying real estate as an investment is looking no better than any other type of investment. i.e. – probably good in the long term, but of you need to liquidate in a hurry you are up shit creek with no paddle.

Some markets have been harder hit than others, and this is a selection of recent articles covering a variety of markets.

Dubai

Dubai luxury property market report

There is no question that Dubai’s luxury real estate market is facing major issues at the moment, despite the constant denials and positive-spin press releases being issued, some developers are facing up to reality, and the number of canceled or delayed projects makes a mockery of announcements of new projects.

There is a stunning amount of property for sale in Dubai. For the first time in Dubai’s history – the industry is facing foreclosures. Nothing like the amount of foreclosure in the USA but they do not have adequate laws in place and we see a looming disaster for any buyers unlucky enough to be unable to pay their mortgage. Perhaps including jail time.

Dubai forcelosures

With property prices falling, jobs being lost and tightening credit conditions, Dubai is facing negative equity and repossessions for the first time. There are estimates that as many as 40% of the mortgages in Dubai are already in default.

Europe

Spanish property prices

Property prices in Spain fell 6.8% in the first quarter of 2009, the fastest rate of decline since records began, despite the fact that sales volumes dropped 39% over the preceding year. No surprises there – it is fair to say the data has been lagging well behind the figures for the last year or so. With unemployment in Spain pushing 20% and an average Spanish home costing around 7 times the average annual salary, we obviously have a ways to go before this correction is over.

Tourist numbers to Spain drop

The current pain in Spain´s tourist industry continued in the Canary Islands last month. As tourist arrivals to this key holiday destination and former property investment hot spot continued to drop dramatically.  According to new figures just released by the Spanish airport operators AENA.

Prices falling in France

The number of sales transactions in 2008, fell by 20% compared to 2007, and the decline is continuing through 2009. 746,400 sales were concluded last year, against 929,300 in 2007, according to figures released yesterday by the Superior Council of notariat (CSN). The number of transactions in January and February 2009 fell 37% compared to the same period in 2008.

The United States of America

The USA – what can be said about this market that hasn’t already been said? The home of the sub prime crisis is still crashing hard. Commercial real estate defaults are the next looming disaster for the USA’s already battered economy.

Commercial real estate the next US financial disaster?

Lately, even the mainstream media in the United States are overdosing on apocalyptic reporting.

Once you’ve covered a global financial meltdown, a global swine flu pandemic, the bursting of the largest residential real estate bubble in memory, the prospect of bankruptcy at two of the Big Three auto manufacturers, U.S. policies on torture (and its salient drawbacks and rewards), and the spectre of thermonuclear war waged by any of a handful of rogue nations currently run (or about to be run) by insane persons, you do start to get a little jaded.

What else could possibly go wrong?

Las Vegas real estate as an investment? Place your bets and watch the wheel spin.

With property values continuing to decline all around the world, one has to ask the question as to which market is the most likely to become an attractive investment destination first. Personally, I think we have some considerable distance to fall still, but that gives the property investor time to give serious consideration as to their next investment. Anyone considering buying property in the USA as an investment should seriously look at Las Vegas with an eye on the future.

Real Estate Investing News

The question everyone seems to be asking is “have we reached bottom yet?” As in are we at the bottom of the real estate value downswing. To listen to almost any real estate agency, we are well past that point, but the underlying fundamentals do not bear this out.

Credit is still tight. Despite massive injections of money into the financial system by governments around the world, the banks are still on shaky ground and there seems no end in sight yet. An injection of another $1 trillion into the US system helped boost stock prices a little but realistically – this will be no where near enough and there is a good chance that the UK and perhaps the US will go broke trying to prevent the banking system from collapsing.

Property markets are still crashing. Here are a few news items from the blogosphere recently:

Luxury Home Online Auction

A  luxury home in Colorado goes to auction next month. An online auction. Showing a level of desperation that is pretty suggestive of further price falls in the luxury real estate markets. If all else fails – try an online auction. At least they did not put it on ebay. The price has already been dropped from $6.5 million to $3.9 million – no sale yet.

The biggest falls in real estate values were seen in London, Dubai and Hong Kong during the last quarter of 2008. wiping out gains from the previous years. More bad news for real estate investors in the US, as prices fell another 15% over the last year.

And the amount of property for sale keeps climbing all over the world causing dropping rental yields for almost all landlords – some are suggesting that the buy-to-let market in the UK will collapse under the vast amount of rental units flooding the market.